Year 9 - Music
How music shapes film
Film Music
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores film music and how composers use music to enhance mood, atmosphere and storytelling. Pupils study common film music techniques and themes, and apply this knowledge by composing and performing music to accompany visual scenes, developing their composition and performance skills.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain some of the ways that music helps to shape the way we experience films.
Key Notes
- Film music can be used in a variety of ways to shape our experience.
- These include setting the scene, creating tension, and use of leitmotif to represent a particular character or idea.
- Composers use the musical elements to create an appropriate atmosphere, including appropriate use of tonality.
- Title themes are often the first music in a film, so should set the tone for the whole film.
Vocabulary To Learn
- tonality: the key that the music is in, such as major or minor
- leitmotif: a musical idea that represents a specific character, place or idea
- title theme: the main musical theme of a film that is usually heard in the opening titles/credits
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- There is a fixed and correct finger pattern for performing keyboard pieces.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Film music can be used in a variety of ways to shape our experience. These include setting the scene, creating tension, and use of leitmotif to represent a particular character or idea.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'tonality'
the key that the music is in, such as major or minor.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: There is a fixed and correct finger pattern for performing keyboard pieces. Correction: With pieces that require a dexterous hand postition change, there are often several options. Encourage pupils to find a comfortable solution. Show examples of good keyboard technique that allows them to perform more difficult melodies with control.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 9 Music guide library.